Little Italy Association Recommended for Parking Contract

The Budget/Finance & Administration Committee of Centre City Development Corp. (CCDC) yesterday (July 9) recommended that Little Italy Association get a $240,000 contract to enhance parking in the neighborhood. Among other things, the association will be responsible for enhancing on-street parking, opening additional lots, implementing a valet program, and installing bike racks. Two principals will be assigned to the contract. Marco Li Mandri, who has a private company, New City America, and is administrator of the Little Italy Association, will be the primary contact. The other will be Steven Galasso, president of the Little Italy Association. The committee recommends that CCDC approve the contract.

Comments

Please, what can the "Little Italy Association" even DO to "enhance parking" ?? Nothing. If they wanted to "enhance parking" they should have took that $240K ans BOUGHT something with it-like a vacant lot to "enhance parking"

"implementing a valet program"!!! ...and what will that do???... make an upsclae restaurant a little more profitable for their bottom line and upscale clientle????? .....from 8-10PM on Friday and Saturday nights???

I swear-where do these knuckleheads come up with this nonsense??? Oh, I forgot, it comes down to one fact;

1) Gov uses other peoples money-so they don't have any incentive to do anything right.

Another day in the sewer system known as San Diego government.

This really makes me angry. This is nothing more than greasing an insiders hand-the connected FEW - while the MASSES pay for it......

Why not bring Carolyn Smith back and pay that $240K to her as a salary-you will get the exact same result/benefit. Nothing.

Say what you want about "Little Italy"; it is the best run MAD in San Diego and BTW I don't see any comments about the City of San Diego's Park & Rec. Dept. sucking up about 30% of the funds of all the MAD's they administer!
Little Italy is clean, Safe, has NO Clubs or late night noise; what is that worth to it's residents. IMO, Marco Li Mandri has been and is doing a stellar job making Little Italy the BEST managed part of San Diego!
It's easy to throw stones!
I challenge any & all Reader's to point to a better managed part of SD! Just take a look around and compare what your Neighborhood is getting ($ for $) to what the Lucky folks in Little Italy are getting and I bet you too will say, "Thatsa Nice"!

Response to post #6: Supposedly, the money is coming from parking meter receipts. Will this expenditure of those funds -- rather than some other use -- be good for San Diego? I guess we will have to see. Best, Don Bauder

North Park has a 370+ car parking structure paid for by the NP-PAC (it's Project Area Comm.) and when it was initially suggested to be built, many if not most, scoffed at the idea! Even now, it is still under utilized because the NP Business District will not allow the parking meters that will make using the garage better for North Park, than Blighting their nearby Residential Neighborhood with their patron's parking...

Despite the "Planners myth" that in the future, almost all folks will use mass transit; the truth is that almost everyone (not just the well off) value their time, personal space and safety! Parking is and will continue to be THE one thing, besides Location, that will "make or break" a Neighborhood and it's associated Business District! The one thing that Little Italy does now lack is a parking structure for all it's visitors; (image how the mall owners in Mission Valley would love to lure those shoppers to it's stores)!

BTW: The City of San Diego can easily absorb 30% "operating costs" to do an average job of managing each of it's projects! So why should the folks in Little Italy be concerned if the LTA (a local family made good) gets to manage their District at probably a lower cost AND DO A WORLD CLASS JOB OF IT! Keeping all this money "in the family" is just good business sense and there is no red tape or "passing the buck (no pun intended) either. Marco knows he can depend on all his employes AND SO DO the folks that live in LITTLE ITALY!

Again, cruise Little Italy and then see if you can find a better managed part of San Diego -> then ask your District's management why they cannot do as well!

Response to post #16: There is no question that Little Italy needs parking. I can personally attest to that. The question is whether Little Italy achieves that parking in an efficient and equitable way. Best, Don Bauder

Wasn't another San Diego parking district matter in the news recently, one where oodles of dollars were spent per parking spot over a period of many years? I thought that the press was on to end that City-district contract...

The most important thing about getting a contract is that it empowers you. Because then you can give out subcontracts. Just as you cultivate relationships with those who hand you contracts, there will be the schmoozers and palm-greasers waiting in line to get the contracts you can hand out. And contracts always require paid administrators. It's the giving of power that keeps the insiders on what they see as their little Moebius strip - San Diego.

More on the destroy-then-get-paid-to-replace business model:

From the CCDC’s Downtown Parking Management Group meeting, May 6, 2010 (Li Mandri is a member of this group, but was busy and couldn't attend this day):
Little Italy Association’s Chris Gomez submitted a request to change four parking spaces in front of Nelson Photo (1901 India) from 2-hour to 30-minute parking. Also requested to change two free parking spaces at 2021 India (in front of Ivan’s Electric Bike Company) to 30-minute metered parking.

The request was approved.

The theory is that this kind of imposed difficulty and expense makes people give up their cars in favor of bikes or public transportation (yeah, where is that convenient bus and trolley stop, by the way?). The reality is that the difficulty, frustration, and expense make many people go to photo stores and bike shops elsewhere, where they can park for free as long as they need.

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And don't forget also all those high priced parking tickets,
and outrageous towing fees which are going to help fund our City!

Our city is in the RED and cannot afford to provide parking, yet everywhere you look our curbs are painted red in ultra long stripes making it even harder to find a place to park. Even our scenic areas are filled with red curbs, so our residents (and tourists) can look but not park and enjoy...

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I'm not related to anyone in Mr. Li Mandri's family! I did meet him many years ago for a coffee and talked to him about making North Park's LLMD (now called the NP-MAD) self directed in order to save about 30% of the total fees collected, which is the case when the City does an average job managing a District!

but I must admit that

I can and do "relate" to a clean, well maintained District.

I don't see you or anyone else posting the name of a better run District or what you and your Neighbors are paying for "LESS" service and why you are putting up with that!...